InfraBuild Reinforcing

Client Overview

Industry: Steel reinforcement and fabricated rebar solutions for infrastructure and construction

Client Context: InfraBuild Reinforcing, formerly operating as Liberty OneSteel REO, is a major national player in steel rebar, mesh, and reinforcing solutions for large infrastructure projects and residential construction. The company operates across all states, servicing major builders, precast operators, engineering contractors, and a long-standing network of independent resellers. Amid increased pressure from procurement-led pricing and complex delivery requirements, the business recognised the need to move away from a volume-driven, cost-plus culture and toward a value-based pricing strategy aligned to customer risk, project complexity, and service delivery expectations.

Challenge / Problem

Symptoms Observed

• Inconsistent pricing structures across states, with customer matrices and branch-level overrides
• Sales driven by volume incentives, often sacrificing margin to "win the tonnes"
• Value-added services (e.g. engineering support, delivery flexibility) not reflected in pricing
• Branch managers owned pricing but lacked tools and training to defend value
• Discounting was reactive, disconnected from cost-to-serve, risk, or project value

Strategic Impact

• Under-priced high-risk projects and reseller over-discounting eroded gross margins
• Customer value was known instinctively but not documented or used in quoting
• Fragmented systems and manual quoting limited pricing governance and scale
• Premium capabilities weren’t reflected in pricing, undervaluing technical strengths

Objectives of the Engagement

• Assessed pricing capability across people, strategy, tools, and systems using the Pricing Insight diagnostic model
• Developed a pricing strategy to support value differentiation and margin expansion by market segment
• Built pricing confidence and capability across sales, operations, and management
• Identified quick wins and long-term structural improvements to boost deal quality, quoting, and price setting
• Aligned pricing structures and customer segmentation across regions and standardised governance

Our Approach

• Delivered the Revenue & Margin Strength Finder (RMSF) diagnostic across NSW, Southern Region, and National teams
• Facilitated Customer Value Canvas workshops across key segments (precast, resellers, volume builders, civil contractors)
• Ran margin expansion scenario modelling and pricing capability assessments
• Uncovered root causes of underpricing and structural misalignment by tier, region, and product
• Developed a prioritised plan for governance, pricing policy, training, and system upgrades

Key Issues Identified

1. No consistent or documented pricing strategy; each state used different logic and authority
2. Lack of customer segmentation led to “one size fits all” quoting and margin loss on complex accounts
3. Sales teams relied on cost-plus or historical pricing, overlooking service value and risk
4. Customer agreements rarely included surcharges for delays, engineering, or expedited delivery
5. Quoting systems (incl. JDE) couldn’t capture dynamic value drivers or total cost-to-serve
6. Pricing governance was ad hoc; overrides were common and lacked structured approval thresholds
7. Sales and ops KPIs misaligned — sales chased tonnes and DIFOT, ops carried overservicing costs
8. High resistance to pricing increases; teams feared relationship damage and lacked tools to defend price
9. Margin erosion on infrastructure and builder projects due to flat pricing and limited cost visibility

Key Actions Taken

1. Developed a national pricing strategy template structured around segment logic, price structures, and governance
2. Rolled out the Customer Value Canvas to document and link value drivers directly to pricing decisions
3. Trained branch and frontline teams in value-based pricing, negotiation, and pricing maths via Pricing University
4. Introduced deal escalation and pricing authority frameworks to reduce overrides and clarify margin impacts
5. Defined new roles for a central pricing team, supported by state-level pricing champions
6. Built use cases for quoting system overhaul covering service vs product, surcharges, and risk-based pricing
7. Identified potential for algorithmic pricing in volatile cost environments to drive smarter increases
8. Recommended CRM and quoting platform integration to enhance visibility, tracking, and control
9. Created a national capability uplift plan including diagnostics, playbooks, review tools, and quote guidelines

Client Feedback

“We’ve always known that we do more for our customers than the price reflects. This diagnostic gave us a structured way to prove it—and to start taking action. We’ve now got the tools, strategy, and alignment to price with confidence.”

— Regional Commercial Leader, InfraBuild Reinforcing

What This Means for Similar Companies

In steel, construction products, and trade supply markets, margin erosion often stems from good intentions—serving the customer at all costs—but without pricing logic that reflects that effort. InfraBuild’s case shows that even long-standing, high-volume businesses can reset their pricing model, regain margin control, and still deliver value to loyal customers. The key is creating commercial discipline and pricing capability that aligns operations, sales, and finance—not just chasing volume or price-matching competitors.